With the opening of the 2026–2027 school year comes renewed hope for thousands of San Juaneño families. The start of classes is always special as teachers welcome new learners, parents prepare for another school year and students return carrying dreams of a brighter future. As Mayor, moments like these remind me why I have always believed that the most important investment we can make is in our children.

In our Makabagong San Juan, we see education as the greatest equalizer. It opens doors, expands opportunities, and gives every child a fair chance to build a better future for themselves, their family, and their community.

This belief has guided our work since day one.

When I assumed office in 2019, one of my priorities was to prepare our students and teachers for an increasingly digital world. Together with my father, then-Congressman Ronny Zamora, and then-DICT Secretary Gringo Honasan, we worked to bridge the digital divide in our public schools because we recognized that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not always equal. If our learners were to succeed, they needed access to the same tools and technology available elsewhere.

Through the Digital Education Program of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, every K–12 public school student was provided with a tablet for learning. Complementing this initiative, the City Government of San Juan established and funded a 1:1 laptop-to-public school teacher ratio and fiber-optic internet connectivity in all public school classrooms along with 55-inch Smart TVs. Homes of public school students were provided the same internet connectivity as well. Not even the pandemic stopped us from pursuing that mission.

In fact, these became one of the factors that led to San Juan City being recognized with the prestigious Galing Pook Award for Best Pandemic Response in 2021, as our Digital Education Program ensured the continuity of learning by providing students and teachers with the devices and connectivity they needed during the pandemic.

Today, our commitment continues. Last June 11, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. personally led the distribution of 13,000 brand new tablets for our K–12 public school students which were funded by the San Juan City Government. These replaced the old tablets previously issued to ensure that our learners continue to have access to updated and reliable technology for their education. Combined with smart televisions and fiber optic internet connection in every classroom, these investments equip our learners for the demands of modern education.

But education is more than just technology. We continue to provide free school and PE uniforms, customized rubber shoes, Version 2 of which will be distributed to all public school students very soon and emergency go bags for every student. These ease the burden on families and allow our learners to focus on what matters most: studying hard.

We also believe that hard work deserves recognition. Graduates of Grade 6 and Grade 12, movers from Grade 10, and graduates of the PUP San Juan Campus receive ₱3,000 each. Even our daycare center graduates. Honor students receive incentives ranging from ₱2,000 to ₱10,000. All K–12 students are also eligible for educational assistance on a per-family basis. Our teachers are given additional cash incentives as well.

I am also proud of the work of our Congresswoman Bel Zamora, and of course, our father, Congressman Ronny Zamora, as their efforts have helped secure national funding for additional school buildings and classrooms, as well as upgraded basketball courts in our schools and barangays using maple wood flooring. These investments create better spaces for our children to learn, play, and grow.

Beyond our local initiatives, we are deeply grateful to President Marcos and his vision of a Bagong Pilipinas.

Through the Bagong Pilipinas Presidential Merit Scholarship Program, 105 San Juaneño college scholars received ₱20,000 each in financial assistance, while 1,000 learners benefited from bags and school supplies.

The President’s National Classroom Building Program is also a game-changer, helping cities like San Juan build classrooms faster and avoid unnecessary delays through direct funding to local governments through the Department of Education headed by Secretary Sonny Angara.

We also thank Senator Bam Aquino and his Classroom-Building Acceleration Program Act which facilitated for more funding for classrooms nationwide.

Our collective efforts’ results speak for themselves. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, San Juan ranks number one amongst all highly urbanized cities in the Philippines in functional literacy rate, with a 95% rating—meaning 9.5 out of every 10 San Juaneños can read, write, comprehend, compute, and reason out. In fact, our Grade 12 public school students in San Juan recently topped the National Achievement Test in the National Capital Region.

These accomplishments make us proud, but they are not the finish line. These prove that sustained investments in education work and remind us that there is still more that has to be done.

As the League of Cities of the Philippines National President and Metro Manila Council President, we will continue to facilitate stronger collaboration between our 149 cities and the national government to secure funding for classrooms, which we know will help improve the quality of education for our students.

To our learners: dream big! We are behind you every step of the way. To our parents and teachers: thank you for your hard work and dedication. We are one team working toward a brighter and better tomorrow for every child in San Juan and in the Philippines.